STEAM WHALERS 367 
mittee of the British Association, consisting of Sir 
Joseph Hooker, Sir George Nares, Mr. John Murray (of 
the Challenger), Sir Leopold McClintock, General J. T. 
Walker, Mr. Clements R. Markham, Dr. W. B. Carpen- 
ter, and Sir Erasmus Ommanney “ for the purpose of 
drawing attention to the desirability of further research 
in the Antarctic regions.” 
Widespread interest was awakened and the colony of 
Victoria took an active part in forwarding the scheme. 
The Victorian branch of the Royal Geographical So- 
ciety of Australasia, and the Royal Society of Victoria 
brought pressure to bear on the colonial government and 
secured the promise of liberal premiums to any whalers 
or sealers who would land cargo in Melbourne procured 
south of 60 0 S. The colonists could not afford to send 
out an expedition without help from the mother country, 
but they were eager to do what they could. 
At home Sir John Murray delivered a powerful ad- 
dress on the Exploration of the Antarctic Regions, in 
which he declared that a naval expedition of two ships 
was necessary and that before anything should be done 
to organise it there must be a guarantee of £150,000 to 
ensure proper equipment and adequate support for a 
sufficiently extended cruise. The Council of the Royal 
Society of Edinburgh very carefully prepared a complete 
scheme for an expedition to carry on researches in every 
department of science. The Scottish Geographical So- 
ciety supported the proposals, but the British Associa- 
tion committee in 1886 deferred their report until other 
Societies not so forward in their response had given an 
answer, the committee being strengthened meanwhile by 
the addition of the great names of Sir William Thomson 
(Lord Kelvin), Professor Huxley, Sir John Lubbock 
